Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-8kt4b Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-22T23:50:09.094Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effect of stress on the aluminum-induced crystallization of hydrogenated amorphous silicon films

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2011

Maruf Hossain ,
Husam H. Abu-Safe ,
Hameed Naseem  and
William D. Brown
Maruf Hossain*
Affiliation:
Arkansas Advanced Photovoltaic Research Center, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701
Husam H. Abu-Safe
Affiliation:
Arkansas Advanced Photovoltaic Research Center, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701
Hameed Naseem
Affiliation:
Arkansas Advanced Photovoltaic Research Center, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701
William D. Brown
Affiliation:
Arkansas Advanced Photovoltaic Research Center, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701
*
a) Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: maruf72703@yahoo.com
Get access

Abstract

The effect of stress, resulting from the presence of hydrogen, on the aluminum-induced crystallization of hydrogenated amorphous silicon films was studied. Layered thin films of hydrogenated and unhydrogenated amorphous silicon and aluminum, deposited by sputtering, were used to study this effect. The stress of the deposited films was determined by measuring the radius of curvature of c-Si substrates before and after deposition of the films. It was observed that unhydrogenated amorphous silicon films exhibit a high compressive stress compared with hydrogenated ones. The amount of stress is shown to decrease with increasing hydrogen content. It was also observed that aluminum always provides tensile stress. After the initial stress measurements, all the samples were annealed for 30 min at temperatures between 200 °C and 400 °C. X-ray diffraction was used to determine the crystallinity of the silicon films. The results of the study show that the temperature at which crystallization of amorphous silicon is initiated is lower for films with a lower initial stress.

Keywords

CrystallineHSputtering
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 21 , Issue 10 , October 2006 , pp. 2582 - 2586
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1.Werner, J.H., Bergmann, R., Brendel, R.: The challenge of crystalline thin film silicon solar cells. Adv. Solid State Phys. 34, 115 (1995).Google Scholar
2.Haque, M.S., Naseem, H.A., Brown, W.D.: Interaction of aluminum with hydrogenated amorphous silicon at low temperatures. J. Appl. Phys. 75, 3928 (1994).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3.Kishor, R., Shaik, A., Naseem, H.A., Brown, W.D.: Atomic force microscopy and x-ray diffraction studies of aluminum-induced crystallization of amorphous silicon in Al/a-Si:H, a-Si:H/Al, and Al/a-Si:H/Al thin film structures. J. Vac. Sci. Technol., B 21, 1037 (2003).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4.Saitoh, K., Kondo, M., Nishimiya, T., Matsuda, A., Futaco, W., Shimizu, I.: Role of the hydrogen plasma treatment in layer-by-layer deposition of microcrystalline silicon. Appl. Phys. Lett. 71, 3403 (1997).Google Scholar
5.Sriraman, S., Agarwal, S., Aydil, E.S., Maroudas, D.: Mechanism of hydrogen-induced crystallization of amorphous silicon. Nature 418, 62 (2002).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6.Matsumoto, Y., Yu, Z.: P-type polycrystalline Si films prepared by aluminum-induced crystallization and doping method. Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 40, 2110 (2001).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7.Drusedau, T.P., Blasing, J., Gnaser, H.: Aluminum-mediated low temperature growth of crystalline silicon by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor and sputter deposition. Appl. Phys. Lett. 72(12), 1510 (1998).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8.Nast, O., Brehme, S., Neuhaus, D.H., Wenham, S.R.: Polycrystalline silicon thin films on glass by aluminum-induced crystallization. IEEE Trans. 46, 2062 (1999).Google Scholar
9.Demichelis, F., Tagliaferro, A., Tresso, E.: Magnetron-sputtered amorphous silicon. J. Appl. Phys. 57, 5424 (1985).Google Scholar
10.Hossain, M., Abu-Safe, H.H., Naseem, H., Brown, W.D. The effect of substrate temperature and interface oxide layer on aluminum induced crystallization of sputtered amorphous silicon, in Amorphous and Nanocrystalline Silicon Science and Technology—2004, edited by Ganguly, G., Kondo, M., Schiff, E.A., Carius, R., and Biswas, R. (Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 808, Warrendale, PA, 2004), A4.22, p. 315.Google Scholar
11.Hsu, C.M., Chen, I.F., Yu, M.C.: Stress effect on aluminum-induced crystallization of sputtered amorphous silicon thin films. Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 42, 4928 (2003).Google Scholar
12.de Lima, M.M. Jr.Lacerda, R.G., Vilcarromero, J., Marques, F.C.: Coefficient of thermal expansion and elastic modulus of thin films. J. Appl. Phys. 86, 4936 (1999).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13.Lanford, W. A., Rand, M.J.: The hydrogen content of plasma-deposited silicon nitride. J. Appl. Phys. 49(4), 2473 (1978).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14.Mahan, A.H., Gedvilas, L.M., Webb, J.D.: Si-H bonding in low hydrogen content amorphous silicon films as probed by infrared spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction. J. Appl. Phys. 87(4), 1650 (2000).CrossRefGoogle Scholar